Thursday, July 31, 2014

SOAP 07/31/2014; Isaiah 63:16

Today's reading: Isaiah 63, 64; Psalm 107; John 2

S) "16 For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us
And Israel does not recognize us.
You, O Lord, are our Father,
Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.
"


Isaiah 63:16 (NASB)

O) For many years (and even after this), the Israelites put a lot of stock in their genealogies. The promises that Abraham received from the LORD shaped their identity as the LORD's people. But, what Isaiah pointed out here, is that there is a greater lineage to claim. There is a greater Father in Heaven. Abraham and Isaac could not really bless them directly, but their Father God could.

A) For a long time I felt very disconnected from my dad. At one time, I briefly considered whether or not I might even go so far as to change my last name. This verse reminds me, though, that I don't have to cut off my earthly line in order to live as God being my Father. He saves now, He leads now, He teaches now - but that isn't to say that I am not a Cannelora. My dad may not recognize me, but that doesn't mean he's not my dad. What it means, is that I embrace my Father God as my true identity and salvation.

P) Father, Father, Father, thank You for adopting me. I have a whole new identity, legacy, and destiny, because You called me a son, a fellow heir in Christ. Help me to recognize that my earthly bloodline has a part in who I am, but it doesn't make me who I am. My dad may not recognize me as his own, the more I look like You. Claim me as Your own, forever. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

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